The present invention relates to an image apparatus such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk or Digital Video Data) player, a DVD recorder and the like. More particularly, the invention is concerned with video apparatuses having improved zoom-in magnifying functions.
In recent years, DVD players have been developed for reproducing a variety of digital information such as musics, motion/still pictures and the like from optical disks. Further, the advent of a DVD recording/reproducing apparatus capable of not only reproducing but also recording various information such as musics, pictures or the like is expected in the not so distant future. Under the circumstances, there exist versatile user's demands on the DVD players which have already been on the market. To say in another way, there exists a demand for realization of the DVD player having a multiplicity of functions.
As one of the numerous functions of the DVD player, the zoom-in magnifying function may be mentioned. For having better understanding of the concept underlying the present invention, description will be made of the zoom-in magnifying function of a conventional DVD player known heretofore by reference to FIGS. 7A and 7B of the accompanying drawings. Incidentally, a remote control unit as usual is provided in association with a DVD player and FIGS. 7A and 7B are schematic view for illustrating the concept of the zoom-in magnifying function adopted in the conventional DVD player.
When a zoom button labeled “ZOOM” disposed on a remote control unit is pushed by user, a center area of a picture displayed fully on a screen of a displaying unit can be viewed with a predetermined magnification, e.g. with a magnification factor “2”. In other words, a part or portion of a picture displayed on the screen of the picture unit, as illustrated in FIG. 7A, can be displayed with magnification in such a manner as illustrated schematically in FIG. 7B.
Furthermore, by pushing one of cursor keys labeled “UP”, “DOWN”, “LEFT” and “RIGHT” on the remote control unit, the picture area to be viewed with magnification (i.e., area indicated as enclosed by a frame in FIG. 7A) can be moved correspondingly. In other words, in the conventional DVD player, a portion of the picture located not only at a center of the on-screen display but also peripheral locations can be viewed in a magnified or zoomed-in state. Thus, an object of interest such as a figure image or the like which the user wants to view can be displayed in detail on a magnified scale.
However, with the zoom-in magnifying function of the conventional video apparatus such as the DVD player described above, lots of time is taken for the selection and the move of a portion of a picture to be viewed due to need for operating the cursor key(s), as a result of which not a little burden is imposed on the user for selecting and positioning a portion of a picture which he or she wants to view. Additionally, the video apparatus known heretofore suffers a problem that the user can not discern with ease to which of portions of the full picture a zoomed-in picture currently displayed on the screen of the displaying unit bears correspondence or relevancy.